Plop, the Baby Barn Owl, is like every Barn Owl there ever was, except for onething-he is afraid of the dark. Dark is nasty he says and so he wont gohunting with his parents. Mrs. Barn Owl sends him down from his nest-hole toask about the dark and he meets a little boy waiting for the fireworks tobegin, an old lady, a scout out camping, a girl who tells him about FatherChristmas, a man with a telescope, and a black cat who takes him exploring. Herealizes that through these encounters that dark is super after all.

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Publishers WeeklyHowards glorious nocturnal illustrations give new life to the late Britishauthors 1968 tale of an owlet frightened of the night. The dark is scary,Plop tells Mommy Barn Owl, who wisely instructs him to learn a bit more aboutit before passing judgment. Soon, Plop is off seeking new acquaintances, bothhuman and animal, who tell him their favorite things about the evening, fromfireworks and campfire singalongs to viewing the constellations (The dark iswondrous. Look through the telescope, says one gentleman he meets).Tomlinsons reassuring tale is aimed squarely at preschoolers, who will thrillto a familiar scenario played out in an unusual setting. Howards expertlyshaded pastels evoke the owls feather-softness against full-bleedillustrations in glowing, naturalistic colors, which he augments with smallersepia vignettes. One particularly memorable scene features a close-up of Plopflanked by his parents, the three of them staring out at readers with thesparkle of a fireworks display reflected in their large eyes. As for the round,plump and utterly fetching Plop himself, hes an irresistible ball of fluff whomay well convert a host of readers to nighttimes appeal. Ages 3-up. (Aug.)Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers WeeklyA septet of Jill Tomlinsons tales from the 1960s and 70s appear with agenerous sprinkling of half-tone illustrations by Paul Howard, sure to attractnewly independent readers. The tale of a frightened owlet who, with the help ofothers, learns to appreciate the night-The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark (this1968 text was also adapted to a picture-book format with full-color artwork byHoward in 2001, from Candlewick)-appears in its unabridged version, along witha half-dozen other titles in a similar format: The Aardvark Who Wasnt Sure;The Cat Who Wanted to Go Home; The Gorilla Who Wanted to Grow Up; The Hen WhoWouldnt Give Up; The Otter Who Wanted to Know; The Penguin Who Wanted toLearn. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Childrens LiteratureAdapted posthumously from the authors 1968 British classic, this story aimsto reassure nervous young children that the darkness is friendly. Plop, thebaby barn owl, tells his parents that the nighttime is scary and they suggesthe ask others how they feel about the dark. A boy tells Plop that fireworks areexciting; an old lady tells him that the dark is kind; a camping scout says thedark is fun; a girl tells him Santa cant come unless its dark -never mindthat Plop hasnt a clue who Santa is. And a black cat tells him that the darkis beautiful and shows him the sleeping British town. In this fantasy, an owlcan talk to a cat without fear of reprisal, an astronomer can show an owl whatthe stars look like through a telescope, and everything turns out just right asPlop learns to love the night. Young children who accept that owls, at least inbooks, can talk to whatever or whomever they please, will find some comfort inthe various interpretations of the pleasures of being out in the night and willfind someones opinion to identify with, although the old ladys is a stretch.While this anthropomorphic approach to the issue of night frights seems dated,at the very least the book provides adult readers with a conversational openerto help children explore their night feelings. Howards pastel, pencilillustrations for this new edition depict the owl as a winsome, pudgy littlefellow and the night activities are speckled with stars and points